bossanovalithium writes: US regulators have set the ball rolling for new, faster wireless devices.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has decided to open unused television airwaves for mobile broadband in a unanimous vote yesterday. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the move will be the organisation's only significant release of unlicensed spectrum in 25 years. "This new unlicensed spectrum will be a powerful platform for innovation as we've seen time and time again when we unleash American ingenuity, great things happen," he told Reuters.

The empty airwaves, which are called "white spaces," were freed up during the digital television transition in 2009 and consist of the spaces between existing broadcast channels.